PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 28, 2025--
Centuri Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CTRI) (“Centuri” or the “Company”), a leading, North American utility infrastructure services company, today announced the appointment of Jason Lentz as Senior Vice President of Fleet and Procurement, effective August 11.
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In this critical role, Mr. Lentz will drive Centuri’s enterprise-wide fleet and sourcing strategy, focusing on maximizing equipment utilization and improving capital efficiency in alignment with the Company’s objectives. With more than $1 billion in fleet assets across its operating companies, Centuri is advancing a disciplined capital allocation strategy that balances ownership and leasing to ensure flexibility, financial strength, and operational readiness to serve its growing customer base. Mr. Lentz will lead this effort, designing and implementing programs that reduce capital intensity and leverage the company’s scale to drive cost-efficient solutions.
Mr. Lentz brings nearly three decades of experience in the energy and construction sectors, including transformational roles at Fortune 500 companies. Most recently he served as Vice President of Supply Chain at Michels Corporation, where he managed the strategic utilization of 17,000 fleet assets globally. During his tenure, he implemented a unified fleet cost structure underpinned by data analytics to drive utilization insights and enhance fleet efficiency. Prior to Michels, he held leadership positions at Quanta Services, InfraSource LLC and ABBY Construction, with a consistent focus on fleet strategy, procurement optimization, and safety.
“Our fleet is one of our most critical business assets. Bringing in a senior leader of Jason’s caliber further enables us to strengthen our balance sheet through a disciplined capital allocation strategy that includes our fleet management program,” said Centuri President and CEO Christian Brown. “Jason’s proven track record of transforming fleet operations, and his data-driven approach to asset management will accelerate our ability to deliver enhanced shareholder value while maintaining our commitment to exceptional customer service.”
About Centuri
Centuri Holdings, Inc. is a strategic utility infrastructure services company that partners with regulated utilities to build and maintain the energy network that powers millions of homes and businesses across the United States and Canada.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements can often be identified by the use of words such as “will,” “predict,” “continue,” “forecast,” “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “outlook,” “could,” “target,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “seek,” “estimate,” “should,” “may” and “assume,” as well as variations of such words and similar expressions referring to the future. Forward-looking statements could include (without limitation) statements regarding our confidence in our prospects to deliver value for our stockholders as an independent standalone company and our expectation to continue to build on our track record of delivering consistent growth by serving our customers across the utility value chain. A number of important factors affecting the business and financial results of Centuri could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated in any forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, capital market risks and the impact of general economic or industry conditions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ also include (without limitation) those discussed in Centuri’s filings filed from time to time with the SEC. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, even if subsequently made available by Centuri on its website or otherwise. Centuri does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise.
Jason Lentz joins Centuri as SVP Fleet and Procurement
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea have seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela, part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil.
The U.S. Coast Guard boarded the tanker, named Veronica, early Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on social media. The ship had previously passed through Venezuelan waters and was operating in defiance of President Donald Trump’s "established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean,” she said.
U.S. Southern Command said Marines and sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to take part in the operation alongside a Coast Guard tactical team, which Noem said conducted the boarding as in previous raids. The military said the ship was seized “without incident.”
Several U.S. government social media accounts posted brief videos that appeared to show various parts of the ship’s capture. Black-and-white footage showed at least four helicopters approaching the ship before hovering over the deck while armed troops dropped down by rope. At least nine people could be seen on the deck of the ship.
The Veronica is the sixth sanctioned tanker seized by U.S. forces as part of the effort by Trump’s administration to control the production, refining and global distribution of Venezuela’s oil products and the fourth since the U.S. ouster of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid almost two weeks ago.
The Veronica last transmitted its location on Jan. 3 as being at anchor off the coast of Aruba, just north of Venezuela’s main oil terminal. According to the data it transmitted at the time, the ship was partially filled with crude.
Days later, the Veronica became one of at least 16 tankers that left the Venezuelan coast in contravention of the quarantine that U.S. forces have set up to block sanctioned ships, according to Samir Madani, the co-founder of TankerTrackers.com. He said his organization used satellite imagery and surface-level photos to document the ship movements.
The ship is currently listed as flying the flag of Guyana and is considered part of the shadow fleet that moves cargoes of oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.
According to its registration data, the ship also has been known as the Gallileo, owned and managed by a company in Russia. In addition, a tanker with the same registration number previously sailed under the name Pegas and was sanctioned by the Treasury Department for being associated with a Russian company moving cargoes of illicit oil.
As with prior posts about such raids, Noem and the military framed the seizure as part of an effort to enforce the law. Noem argued that the multiple captures show that “there is no outrunning or escaping American justice.”
Speaking to reporters at the White House later Thursday, Noem declined to say how many sanctioned oil tankers the U.S. is tracking or whether the government is keeping tabs on freighters beyond the Caribbean Sea.
“I can’t speak to the specifics of the operation, although we are watching the entire shadow fleet and how they’re moving,” she told reporters.
But other officials in Trump's Republican administration have made clear they see the actions as a way to generate cash as they seek to rebuild Venezuela’s battered oil industry and restore its economy.
Trump met with executives from oil companies last week to discuss his goal of investing $100 billion in Venezuela to repair and upgrade its oil production and distribution. His administration has said it expects to sell at least 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.
Associated Press writer Ben Finley contributed to this report.
This story has been corrected to show the Veronica is the fourth, not the third, tanker seized by U.S. forces since Maduro’s capture and the ship also has been known as the Gallileo, not the Galileo.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a press conference, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at a news conference at Harry Reid International Airport, Nov. 22, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill, File)
